Hope
by closeto30
Summary: Camille and Fisher are forced to come clean to their co-workers and friends when they receive an unexpected surprise, but like most Stitchers situations, nothing can ever happen without a little drama thrown into the mix. Set during season 2, but slightly AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So as it turns out, I ship Casher/Camisher/Quinille (whatever we're calling them) a lot harder that I first intended to... and thus, the below. Slightly AU season 2 (no messy Daniel Stinger backstory). Please enjoy!**

* * *

They were still joined together, breathing heavily into each other's necks, her legs wrapped around his hips as he pressed her back against the shower stall wall, when she cautiously whispered into his ear.

"I think I'm pregnant."

Chuckling against her shoulder, he lifted his head and brushed a wet strand of hair off of her forehead.

"Sweetheart, I don't think it happens that quickly," he murmured teasingly, a smirk playing on his lips. Rolling her big coffee-coloured eyes at him, she gave him an uneasy look as she untangled her legs and sank down onto the bench recess they'd just utilised for their tryst.

"Fisher, I'm being serious," she stated softly, wrapping her arms around herself as if she was suddenly cold, despite the jet of hot water that was still spraying out of the showerhead. Fisher stared at her for a moment, and then reached out and shut off the water before stepping out of the shower stall. She watched as Fisher came back into the stall a moment later with a fluffy white towel in his hands, and he squatted before her so that he could gently wipe droplets of water off of her face. She fixed him with an uneasy gaze.

"Camille, what are you saying?" Fisher asked gently, patting down her hair and then wrapping the towel around the brunette's shoulders. Camille's lower lip wobbled as she let out a soft sigh.

"I'm late," she murmured shakily. "I've never been late, not like this. And I've been feeling really sick lately, and there's this metallic taste in my mouth that I can't seem to get rid of..." She trailed off as she looked up at Fisher, tears brimming in her eyes.

"I didn't know how to tell you," she sniffled. Fisher used his thumb to wipe a wayward tear off of her cheek, and then grabbed both of her hands to pull her to her feet. He wound the towel around her body before leading her from the shower stall, quickly grabbing another towel from the pile on the vanity so that he could wrap it around his waist. When he turned back to Camille, she was staring at him with an incredibly unconfident look in her eyes. The look was so far from the emotion Camille normally wore in her eyes that Fisher quickly stepped forward, cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her with unbridled intensity. Camille was gasping for breath when he finally pulled away.

"Quincy?" she whispered, her eyes full of questions. Fisher couldn't help but grin; she only used his first name when she was completely unsure of what was going on. He tucked her hair behind her ear, and kept his hand rested on her cheek.

"Everything is going to be ok," he murmured reassuringly. Camille's eyes were saucer-wide.

"How can you know that?" she whimpered back. "I'm too scared to even take a test."

"I know, because we're in this together," Fisher told her. "It's just you and me, tough guy."

"Fisher," Camille hiccupped, leaning her cheek into his touch.

"I love you, Camille Engelson," Fisher said softly, and Camille took a hesitant step away from him. Fisher's heart skipped a beat.

"Camille?"

"Are you just saying that because I might be pregnant?" she asked hesitantly, and Fisher flicked his eyes around the bathroom and towards the hotel suite they'd been occupying since the night before.

"Engelson, I took you to dinner at the fanciest Italian restaurant in town, and made sure this very plush hotel suite was off limits to everyone but us for the entire weekend," he commented with a crooked smile. "What exactly did you think I planned to do with all that time?"

A blush crept across Camille's cheeks, and a small smile of her own tugged at the corners of her lips.

"All this, to say that you love me?" she asked, and Fisher held out a hand in a beckoning gesture.

"You're worth it, tough guy," he told her fondly, and Camille let out a shuddering breath as she bypassed his outstretched hand and instead wrapped her arms around him, burying her face against his chest. Fisher pressed a kiss to the crown of her head as he stroked his fingers across her bare shoulders. Letting out a shuddering sigh, Camille dropped a gentle kiss on one of Fisher's ugly bullet hole scars before she lifted her gaze to meet his.

"I've been burned before," she murmured. "We both have, I know. But when I'm with you, the past doesn't seem to matter."

"You trying to say something, Engelson?" Fisher asked teasingly, and Camille wrinkled her nose at him.

"I love you, you big oaf," she told him, and Fisher couldn't help the genuine smile that lit up his face. He shared another soft kiss with the beautiful girl in his arms, and then ran his fingers through her damp hair.

"How about we get dressed, and then visit a drugstore and pick up a pregnancy test?" he suggested gently. Camille gave him a sheepish grin in reply.

"There's a test in my bag," she admitted, the wrinkle that only formed when she was worried appearing between her eyebrows. "I've been carrying it around just in case my courage came back."

Fisher developed a devilish gleam in his eyes, and he used a finger to slowly push the towel Camille was wrapped in to the floor. Camille watched him with wide eyes as he dropped his own towel beside her discarded one.

"What are you doing?" she asked with trepidation.

"Bringing your courage back," Fisher rumbled, and Camille let out a gasp of surprise that turned into a laugh as he bundled her into his arms and carried her towards the bedroom.

* * *

A little while later, a fully dressed Fisher was gathering discarded clothing and other belongings off the floor of the hotel room when the door to the bathroom slid open and Camille emerged, a white stick clutched in her hand. The worried look was back on her face as she stepped back into the room. Fisher cocked his head expectantly, and Camille held the test out towards him.

"I can't look," she stated flatly. "Please, you have to do it."

Fisher pulled her onto his lap as he sank down onto the bed, and then prised the pregnancy test out of Camille's fist. Not looking at the result, he placed it on the bed beside him, and instead ran his fingers through Camille's towel-tousled hair.

"If you wanna run, now's the time," Camille quipped softly, and Fisher grunted softly at her as he pressed the tip of his nose against hers.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily, Engelson," he told her roughly, and Camille huffed out a soft sigh.

"Just do it," she murmured pleadingly, but she still let Fisher kiss her gently before he reached for the test beside him. Heart pounding in his chest, he held the test out so they could both see the result, and they both fell deathly silent. It seemed like it was a full minute before either of them let out a breath.

"Well, there it is," Fisher stated dumbly, still staring at the white stick.

"Oh God," Camille squeaked, and Fisher felt her start to quiver in his arms. She was clearly on the verge of hyperventilating. Fisher dropped the test and quickly cupped Camille's face in his hands.

"Hey, hey!" he soothed, stroking his thumbs over her cheekbones. "Breathe, sweetheart. You're ok. We're ok."

"It's... I'm... Oh... " Camille stammered, choking on her words as she fought for breath.

"It's ok," Fisher murmured back reassuringly. "I told you, tough guy, we're in this together."

Camille blinked at him for a moment, and then without warning suddenly burst into tears. Fisher instantly recognised that now was the time to just let her cry, so he pulled her close and rubbed her back as she sobbed into his shoulder. When she finally collected herself, she lifted her head and used her sleeve to wipe at her nose. Fisher grinned.

"You are one classy woman, Camille Engelson," he teased, and Camille punched him in the chest in reply.

"Shut up," she muttered. "That's no way to talk to the mother of your child."

"Mother of my child," Fisher mused. "I like the way that sounds."

Camille moaned as she climbed out of Fisher's lap and began pacing around the room.

"Oh Fishy, we're doing this all wrong," she groaned, blowing out a ragged breath. "I can't believe you got me pregnant." Fisher leaned back as he watched her pace, noting with a languid smile that Camille's hand had gravitated unconsciously to her abdomen. He watched as her fingers stroked absently across her stomach.

"Are you actually ok with this, Fish?" Camille asked hesitantly as she glanced at him, and Fisher cocked his head.

"Camille, I am completely on board with whatever you want to do," he told her, but he again felt his heart rate increase slightly at the thought that she might not be on the same page as he was. Fisher watched as Camille looked down at her stomach for a moment before she glanced up and gave him a wry smile.

"Right, so, baby it is," she quipped, and Fisher masked his relieved sigh by letting out a low chuckle. Camille's face suddenly fell.

"Aww, dude, I'm going to have to give up wine!" she complained, and Fisher gave her a bemused look.

"You know we're going to have to tell Maggie about us now," he commented, and Camille's jaw slackened as she buried her hands in her hair.

"Oh jeez, and Linus," she moaned. "He's going to have a conniption."

Now it was Fisher's turn to look surprised.

"How have we been dating for six months, and Linus doesn't know?" he asked, and Camille screwed up her face in embarrassment.

"We were trying so hard to keep it under wraps from Maggie," she explained, "so I figured the easiest way to do that was to keep it quiet in general. I mean, you know Kirsten knows, so of course Goodkin knows too, but I swore Kirsten to secrecy, and if nothing else, Kirsten's good for her word."

"So Linus really believes we're just friends?" Fisher asked disbelievingly, and Camille shrugged.

"For a smart guy, Linus can be pretty stupid sometimes," she commented. Fisher laughed as he got to his feet and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, nestling his chin into her shoulder as he flexed his hand across the span of her abdomen. Camille let out a shuddering breath as she tentatively rested her hand over his.

"I really love you, Fisher," Camille murmured. "I never hid us because I was ashamed. I hope you know that."

"Of course I do," Fisher reassured her, kissing her cheek. "But the secret's out now. No turning back. We're a family now."

Camille tightened her grip on Fisher's fingers.

"A family," she echoed. "After all we've been through, who would have thought I would like the sound of that so much?"

* * *

 **Feedback is always appreciated xo**


	2. Chapter 2

As much as Camille loved an audience, she was decidedly not loving being stared at by an entire lab full of people. After taking a few days to wrap their heads around what they'd done, and visiting a doctor just to be completely sure, Camille and Fisher had gone to Maggie and come clean about their relationship. Maggie had been predictably livid, but Camille had managed to cut the lecture on inter-lab dating short by not so subtly slipping the news of her pregnancy into the conversation. She'd learned pretty quickly that it was hard for people to be mad at a pregnant woman, and the radiant smile that almost immediately formed on Maggie's face did nothing to quell that theory. After a congratulatory round of hugs, Maggie agreed to give the pair a few more weeks to keep things under wraps, but now their time was up, and as agreed, Camille and Fisher were required to make their announcement to their co-workers. Kirsten of course already knew, and Camille caught her smug little smirk from the back of the pack and scowled at her in reply before she cleared her throat.

"So... Fisher and I have an announcement to make," Camille started, gripping the platform railing in front of her. Beside her, Fisher adjusted his tie, but he never took her eyes off of her, and under his steady gaze Camille immediately felt her nerves start to lessen.

"We're, uh, we're together," Camille announced. "Fisher and I are a couple."

On the lab floor below, there were murmurs of acknowledgment, but no one seemed particularly perturbed by the information they'd been given.

"That's it?" Tim from Engineering asked, folding his beefy arms across his chest. "We all came into the lab early so you two could tell us you're doing the nasty?"

"Well, about that," Fisher drawled, sliding an arm around Camille's waist and smirking as Ayo and Chelsea started to giggle. "There's just one other thing we need to tell everyone."

"Fisher, is this really the time and place?" Cameron asked with a smirk, leaning against the empty corpse cassette. Fisher ignored the big-haired scientist.

"Camille's pregnant," he stated proudly. "We're having a baby."

This time the lab actually did fall silent. Camille noticed that Cameron suddenly straightened and whirled around to give Kirsten a dumbfounded look, and she reminded herself to congratulate her roommate later on actually keeping a secret to herself. All at once, it seemed, the occupants of the room burst into cheers and applause, and a blushing Camille let Fisher kiss her on the temple before she made a beeline for the staircase, where Kirsten and Cameron were waiting for her.

"You are full of surprises, Engelson," Cameron quipped with a lopsided grin, pulling her into a hug. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, Goodkin," Camille said. "Believe me; it's still blowing my mind every single day." She suddenly wrinkled her nose as she realised that Kirsten's hands were on her waist.

"Kirsten, what the hell are you doing?"

"I've been wanting to do this ever since you walked into the kitchen this morning," Kirsten commented, tugging at the hem of Camille's loose tank top. "You're showing. I need to see."

Camille pushed Kirsten's hands away and wrapped her arms around herself protectively.

"Really?" she asked incredulously. "Right here, right now?"

"I kept a secret all to myself," Kirsten pouted. "Please?"

Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, Camille gritted her teeth and then let out a defeated moan.

"Fine," she grumbled. "But it's not even obvious. It just looks like I had a big breakfast."

"A big enough breakfast that you can't button your pants?" Cameron teased as Camille inched her shirt up slightly to reveal the very beginnings of her baby bump. Kirsten was right in saying that it had really only happened that morning; Camille had glanced in the mirror on the way to the bathroom and stopped short when she'd noticed the sudden curve to her lower abdomen and the way her cami was clearly tighter than it had been before. Then, of course, had come her jeans.

"Shut up," she snapped at Cameron, and rolled her eyes when he chuckled. "My wardrobe really was not designed to cater for an expanding waistline."

"Ugh, I don't have to go shopping with you, do I?" Kirsten whined, her hands plastered to Camille's exposed stomach. "You know I hate that."

"I can take you shopping."

Three heads swivelled towards the lab entryway, and Camille quickly tugged down her shirt as Linus took a step forward. Camille let out a shaky breath. She'd avoided looking anywhere near Linus during the announcement, just as she'd been avoiding him in the weeks prior, and now he knew why. His normally expressive face was hard to read right at that moment, however.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked, staring point blank at Camille. Swallowing hard, Camille nodded and followed as Linus turned and headed towards the lunchroom. Glancing around, she caught Fisher, who was talking with Maggie and Ayo, following her with his gaze, and she gave him a reassuring half smile as she left the main lab area. Shutting the lunchroom door behind her, Camille took a deep breath and finally met Linus's eye.

"Linus," she started softly.

"You didn't think that maybe I deserved to be told this information before everyone else?" Linus cut her off, forcefully throwing himself down into a chair and folding his arms across his chest.

"Linus, I'm sorry!" Camille whined. "We were trying to keep it on the DL..."

"Kirsten and Cameron knew," Linus shot back, and Camille pressed both of her palms to her forehead.

"In my defence, Cameron was never supposed to know," she said flatly, and Linus flared his nostrils.

"I have defended you, and looked out for you, and protected you, for all this time," he stated. Camille threw her head back in frustration.

"I didn't know how to tell you!" she cried exasperatedly. "Knowing how you feel about me, Linus, how you've always felt about me... I didn't want to hurt you! And things with Fisher, they just happened so fast. I didn't think it was anything to tell anyone about at first, but then it just kind of escalated..." She trailed off as she caught softness starting to creep across Linus's features.

"I fell in love, Linus," she murmured. "I am head over heels in love with Quincy Fisher, but the thought of hurting you with that information still tears me apart."

"Camille, are you happy?" Linus interjected gently, and Camille bit her lip as she realised that tears were inching slowly down her cheeks. She let out a shuddering breath.

"I really am," she whispered, clasping her hands across her abdomen. "I never even imagined something like this would make me this happy, but it does. He does. I can't imagine my life without him in it."

Linus was suddenly on his feet and gripping her hands in his.

"That's all I really needed to know," he told her sincerely. "Your happiness, that's what's important to me."

"I really am sorry," Camille sniffled, and Linus gave her a rueful grin.

"I'll get over it," he murmured, and Camille folded herself into his welcome embrace. They hugged for a long time, and when Camille pulled away, she quickly wiped at her tear-stained cheeks with the palms of her hands. Linus fondly shook his head at her.

"It's going to take a while for me to get used to the thought of you with a baby," he admitted. Camille felt her cheeks grow warm as she grinned sheepishly.

"It's weird, I know," she drawled. "But honestly, between all of the freaking out, I'm actually really excited about this." She paused to glance at her stomach again.

"Please tell me you weren't kidding about the shopping thing," she said, fixing Linus with a begging stare. "If my pants fall down in front of the whole lab I will never ever get over it."

Linus laughed as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and headed them both towards the doorway.

"We'll go tomorrow," he promised. "Right now though, if it's ok with you, I think I'd like to shake the hand of your boyfriend."

A happy smile forming on her face, Camille tucked herself in a little tighter to his side as they made their way back to the lab floor.

* * *

It soon became abundantly clear to all involved that Camille's pregnancy was going to be a full Stitchers program affair. Within weeks of the announcement, a dry erase board appeared in the lunchroom, courtesy of Linus and Cameron, with betting pool statistics for potential due dates, and if the baby would be a boy or a girl. A second board called for suggestions for a name for 'The Little Fish'. Camille had to admit the moniker, while obvious, was quite cute, and it wasn't long she and Fisher were both using it when they talked to each other and Camille's growing bump. Fisher of course was enamoured with Camille's expanding belly, though Kirsten most definitely gave him a run for his money. She demanded to touch the bump as often as possible, a habit that only grew once Camille begrudgingly moved out of the house and into Fisher's place. Camille felt so guilty about leaving Kirsten behind that she could rarely refuse when Kirsten begged for contact, but she also secretly found the whole practice a little bit adorable. Despite the fact that Camille had specifically stated to Maggie that she didn't want to be treated any differently just because she was expecting, as her pregnancy progressed subtle changes took place within the lab. Ayo, who had keenly offered ultrasounds whenever they wanted them, kept one of the hospital gurneys in the infirmary made up just in case Camille ever felt like she needed a nap, and Tim and Alex began to take turns at bringing mugs of tea to the woman in question, even though she never asked. A second chair mysteriously appeared one day at Linus's communications desk, and the whole lab watched as Camille stubbornly avoided it for several days, and then they collectively smirked when after a particularly fast-paced stitch, she sank down into the chair with relief etched all over her face. Several of the lab team also noticed on the day that, halfway through a stitch, Camille had suddenly but very calmly risen from her chair, walked up to the platform where Fisher stood in his usual observation space with Maggie, taken her partner's hand, and placed it against her rounded stomach. The unbridled amazement that had crossed Fisher's face, accompanied by Camille's own thrilled smile, told those that were watching that the couple was experiencing their baby's first kicks. The pair had tried diligently to keep their professional distance while in the lab, but after that moment, their mood softened, and it seemed the entire lab was grateful for it. Stolen kisses and belly rubs were met with gentle ribbing from whoever caught Camille and Fisher in the act, but there was always a smile behind the words, and Camille felt a certain warmth knowing that even though her blood relatives may never even know her child, they would most definitely have the Stitchers lab family to look out for them.


	3. Chapter 3

When Maggie began to drop rather unsubtle hints that Camille might like to begin stepping back from the Stitchers lab, Fisher simply sat back and watched as his girlfriend tried desperately to restrain her own smart mouth. He could tell by the way that Camille looked at him that she fully expected him to side with Maggie's suggestion, but he was about to prove her wrong.

"My partner here is a fully grown woman," he stated when Maggie started to protest. "Whatever decision she makes, I'll support."

Camille didn't quite manage to hide the surprise that flashed across her face, and Fisher chuckled to himself.

"Maggie, let's face it, sitting on my ass and running Google is a big part of my job here," Camille said flatly, turning to the program director. "Sure, Linus has been teaching me a lot about how his stuff works, but what I'm doing is not strenuous. I'm ok down here."

Maggie set her mouth in a hard line and folded her arms across her chest.

"Let it be put on the record right now that I asked you very specifically to slow down," she stated, and Fisher watched as Camille tried not to smirk as she absently ran her fingers over her rounded belly.

"Got it, boss," Camille quipped, and Maggie rolled her eyes even as she smirked, patting Camille on the shoulder as she left the room. Grunting softly as she leaned her increasing weight forward in her seat, Camille gave Fisher a shy smile. The detective loved Camille at all times, but he felt his own cheeks warm at that particular little smile.

"Thank you for being on my side," Camille said to him, and Fisher grinned at her.

"I know better than to argue with you at the best of times, Engelson," he teased. "Throw in the fact that you're 32 weeks pregnant, and I'll pretty much agree to anything you want."

Rolling her eyes, Camille punched him in the shoulder playfully before she gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"I'll say thank you properly later, hot shot," she breathed huskily. Fisher couldn't stop the excited expression that lit up his face, and he quickly kissed her again. Camille smiled against his lips before she hauled herself to her feet and padded across the lab to where Kirsten was talking with Cameron. Fisher watched her go with a fond smile playing on his lips. Knowing Camille's stubborn nature, Fisher had done his research in regards to safe exercise during pregnancy, and once he was happy with what he'd learned, he'd continued to train with Camille as often as she'd asked to. Despite her often and loudly vocalised cravings for anything sweet, Camille had limited herself to the occasional sugary treat (though Fisher had one night watched her devour an entire pint of Chunky Monkey without even pausing for breath), and as a result she'd managed to keep her weight gain to a minimum. Fisher of course would have loved her even if she'd gained 100 pounds, but he most definitely also got a kick out of the shock people who didn't know her got when Camille suddenly turned around and displayed her belly. Lost in his own little daydream, Fisher jumped when Linus flopped down into the vacated seat at the communications desk.

"What was that all about?" he asked nonchalantly, clearly referring to the prior conversation with Maggie. Fisher gave the computer scientist a sidelong glance. Despite his evident closeness with Camille, and Camille's unsubtle hints that they should try to get along, Fisher had never particularly warmed to or gotten close to Linus, so a conversation of any kind with him was a strange occurrence. Still, Linus appeared to be genuine, so Fisher answered the question.

"Maggie was attempting to encourage maternity leave," Fisher told Linus, who immediately choked out a laugh in reply.

"Like that was ever going to happen," he guffawed. "You would have thought that after all this time, Maggie would have figured out that Camille pretty much always does the opposite of what's expected of her."

Fisher tilted his head as he contemplated his next words.

"Kind of like with her and me?" he offered up softly, and Linus's features rearranged into a rueful grin.

"Yeah, kind of just like that," he murmured, and then rested his elbows on the desk and leaned forward as he followed Fisher's gaze to where Camille and Kirsten were laughing as Cameron told an animated tale.

"You make her happy, you know?" Linus commented to Fisher, the offering soft but sure. The detective felt his cheeks grow warm again.

"That's good news, considering how much I adore every single part of her," Fisher said back. Linus glanced at the older man.

"The ring you gave her for your anniversary..." he trailed off, but the purpose and question was evident in his tone.

"Not an engagement ring," Fisher stated firmly. "Just a promise. She'd kill me if she thought I was turning her into one of those girls that got engaged just because she got knocked up. She'll tell me when she's ready."

Linus cleared his throat and avoided Fisher's gaze.

"I'll always love Camille, you know that, right?" he murmured huskily. "And if you hurt her, I'll kill you."

"You know, I'm glad she's got someone like you looking out for her, Linus," Fisher replied almost instantly. "And when the time comes, I know you're going to be a fantastic godfather to our child."

Linus's head whipped up, and he stared at Fisher in shocked surprise. Fisher gave him a satisfied grin.

"Try and act surprised when she tells you," he quipped, nodding towards Camille. Linus continued to gape as Fisher got to his feet, and the tall detective put a hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"We cool?" Fisher asked, and Linus nodded quickly.

"We're cool," he murmured dumbly. At that moment, Maggie emerged from her office and gave Fisher a beckoning look. Fisher made to leave, but before he did, he made sure that he gave Linus's shoulder a squeeze, friendly, but also a subtle reminder that the warning went both ways; that if anyone ever hurt Camille, he'd defend her to his dying breath.

* * *

Life in the Stitchers lab was never what anyone would consider normal, but for the next few weeks, things moved along as they usually did; a new case would come in, the team would stitch, they'd follow up the bad guys, and they'd solve the case. Camille of course was limited to desk work, but she remained an active part of the team. One day around Camille's 36th week, the team had just completed a stitch, and Kirsten was climbing out of the tank when she noticed an odd look cross Camille's face.

"Are you ok?" she asked, absently accepting a towel from Chelsea even as she frowned in concern at her friend. Camille, who seemed to be lost in a daze, blinked as if in surprise.

"What?" she murmured, shaking her head slightly as she redirected her attention towards Kirsten. "I'm fine. Why?"

"You spaced out for a minute there," Kirsten quipped. "Something wrong?"

"Did someone say something's wrong?" Fisher suddenly materialised at Kirsten's side. Camille pursed her lips at him. While not driving her crazy quite yet, Fisher had started hovering within the past week. She understood that he was starting to get nervous; after all she was starting to feel that way herself, but he was dangerously toeing a line.

"It's just heartburn," Camille told them both, reluctantly holding out her hands so that Fisher could help her to her feet. "I need a Tums is all."

"Maybe you should go home," Fisher suggested gruffly, not letting go of her hands.

"And maybe you should quit looking at me like I'm about to break," Camille shot back pointedly, lifting her hand to stroke his cheek. "I'm fine, Quincy."

Fisher was looking at her like he didn't quite believe her.

"Don't you have a suspect to go interrogate?" Camille asked with a raised eyebrow, and Fisher narrowed his eyes at her before he grunted deep in his throat, and leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek.

"Goodkin!" he barked over his shoulder as he straightened again. "Let's go!"

Kirsten sidled up closer to Camille and wrinkled her nose in amusement as she watched Cameron hightail it across the lab after Fisher like a puppy following his master. She was squeezing water out of her ponytail when she caught Camille wincing beside her.

"Camille, are you sure you're ok?" she murmured, and the brunette let out a shaky breath.

"Mmm hmm," Camille mumbled, avoiding her friend's gaze as she pressed a hand to her lower back. "I'm going to go put a trace on that web address you saw in the stitch. You should probably get changed."

The pair went their separate ways, but not before Kirsten managed yet another pat to Camille's stomach. Around an hour later, both Kirsten and Camille were ensconced behind desks, Camille tapping away at Linus's keyboard while Kirsten paged through a textbook, when a distant rumbling caused them both to look up. The other lab techs left in the room also glanced up, and they all exchanged confused looks.

"Did you feel..." Kirsten started, but was cut off when the entire room began to shake. Maggie dashed out of her office as dust started to fall from the ceiling.

"It's an earthquake, people!" she shouted authoritatively as the lights flickered and somewhere an alarm started beeping. "Brace yourselves."

Camille groaned softly as she inelegantly wedged herself under Linus's desk, trying to breathe as normally as possible even as the tremor shook the bunker. The lab plunged into darkness as the lights all shorted out at the same time, and someone across the lab let out a shout. After a few minutes, the quake seemed to pass, and Camille edged herself slowly out from under the desk as the lights returned in a dimmed capacity. Linus practically flew across the lab to help Camille to her feet. The brunette gave her friend a nervous smile as she leaned against him.

"Is everyone all right?" Maggie called from the platform, and a chorus of affirmative, if somewhat shaky, noises echoed from around the lab.

"Looks like the power's down," Maggie observed. "We're running on generator power, so if everyone could turn any unnecessary equipment off until we're back online, please."

"Wait, does that mean..." Linus trailed off, but his eyes were trained on the elevator shaft. Maggie nodded in reply.

"We've got enough supplies in the lab to last a full crew five days," she stated. "We'll be fine down here for a couple of hours until the power's restored and the elevator comes back online."

Kirsten walked up to the platform to grill Maggie further, but Camille glanced towards the elevator and let out a small whine. Linus was still close enough to hear, and he gave her a sympathetic look.

"I'm sure Fisher's fine," he reassured her. "He'll be more worried about you than anything else."

"Yeah, he will," Camille murmured absently, squeezing her eyes closed as she tried to mask a wince.

"Still with the heartburn?" Linus questioned, and Camille nodded as she swallowed hard.

"I think I'm going to go lie down for a little while," she told Linus, squeezing his forearm before she padded away. Linus watched her go, not quite convinced that she was all right, but he told himself that if anyone knew how to take care of themselves it was Camille, and instead he busied himself with righting the overturned contents of his desk. As it seemed that they were all stuck with each other for the foreseeable future, the lab technicians set to restoring the lab to the regular clean state, including mopping up the water that had sloshed out of the tank during the quake. Between the cleaning and the goofing off that inevitably followed, it was well over an hour before Linus had the opportunity to check on Camille. He found her at the end of the walkway that led to the interrogation room, gripping onto the railings so tight that her knuckles were turning white. She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Camille!" Linus couldn't help crying out her name as he dashed to her side.

"I'm fine, Linus," Camille bit out, hanging her head between her arms and letting out a low moan.

"Are you in labour?" Linus hissed in panic, and Camille shook her head vehemently as she slowly straightened up.

"Braxton-Hicks," she stated, pushing her bangs off of her forehead. "Though, let me tell you, if these are only the fake contractions, I am so not looking forward to the real thing."

"Did you manage to get a message to Fisher?" Linus asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, he's fine," Camille answered. "He's stuck with Goodkin on the other side of town though. Power's apparently down all over LA, and traffic's a mess."

Linus let out a goofy little giggle, and Camille cocked her head at him questioningly.

"I'm sorry, I just remembered that Cameron really hates earthquakes," Linus chuckled. "Like, little kid in a thunderstorm level hate. I'm just imagining Fisher having to deal with that."

"The old man could use a patience test or two," Camille quipped as she cracked a half-grin. "Good practice for what's to come."

Linus watched as his friend pressed a palm to her stomach and grimaced slightly.

"Do you maybe want to lie down again?" he offered gently, and Camille blew out a shaky breath even as she nodded, stepping forward and letting Linus slide a supporting arm around her waist. They'd barely made it around the corner when Camille suddenly stopped short and let out a barely audible squeak as she looked down at her feet in dismay.

"Uh, Camille?" Linus murmured cautiously. "Did you just pee yourself?"

Camille shot him a haughty look.

"No, I did not just pee myself, you fool," she snapped. "My water just broke."

"Oh, ok," Linus conceded, and Camille counted to three before Linus's head shot up and he let out a yelp.

"Wait, what?" he cried, and Camille rolled her eyes.

"And there it is," she muttered, even as another shooting pain rippled through her body. She dug her fingernails into Linus's forearm.

"Get me to Ayo," she growled through clenched teeth, and Linus suddenly snapped to attention, letting Camille lean against him as he rushed them as fast as they were able across the lab, yelling the medic's name. Soon enough, Ayo had Camille set up in the dimmed infirmary, and the dark-skinned woman gave Camille a concerned look as she lowered the younger woman's legs from the stirrups.

"You're about six centimetres," Ayo reported, and Camille instantly went pale as she reached for Linus's hand. Her friend gripped her fingers reassuringly.

"Camille, how long have you been in labour?" Ayo asked gently, and Camille screwed up her face in frustration.

"I don't know!" she whined. "Since the stitch this morning? I thought they were fake contractions, Ayo, I swear!"

"Sweetie, if that's the case, you're progressing fairly quickly," Ayo commented uneasily, and Linus shot her a hard look.

"That's hardly reassuring, Ayo," he growled, and the medic bit her lip.

"Maggie seemed fairly certain that we'd be out of here sooner rather than later," Ayo offered cautiously, but turned at the sound of a clearing throat from the doorway. The director herself wore a worried expression on her face.

"I'm afraid there's been a delay in the power restoration," she admitted, as she stepped into the room. "I've informed the authorities of your current predicament, Camille, but the whole city's in chaos right now."

"God, Maggie, I really don't want to do this down here," Camille moaned, wriggling uncomfortably on the hospital gurney. "Did you try bribing them? I'll buy enough churros to feed downtown LA if I have to."

Cracking a crooked smile, Maggie stepped up to the free side of the bed and used a finger to brush Camille's bangs off of her forehead.

"I'm doing everything I can," Maggie promised, and Camille fixed her boss with a determined stare.

"Someone needs to find Fisher," Camille stated evenly. "I have tried to call him, but the line keeps dropping out before I can tell him what's going on. If he's not here for this, both of us are going to be very upset. Are you hearing me, Maggie?"

Maggie's face had softened. Despite Camille's level tone, there was panic seeping into her voice, and the edge of fear was evident in her eyes.

"We'll find a way to get him here," Maggie murmured reassuringly, and Camille managed a wobbly smile before she screwed up her face in pain and squealed through her gritted teeth.

"Sonofabitch," Camille growled, and Maggie couldn't help but smirk as she patted Camille's hand.

"Just remember to breathe," she offered as she backed away from the bed and headed for the door. "I'll come back when I've heard from Fisher."

Shifting her position on the gurney, Camille glanced at Linus, who was watching her with a slight frown wrinkling his features. Camille reached out and tweaked his nose, and Linus immediately caught her hand between his. Despite her discomfort, a fond smile found its way onto Camille's face.

"Hey," she murmured, and Linus lifted his eyes to meet hers.

"There's a good chance that in the next few hours I'm going to be throwing some pretty hefty abuse your way," Camille continued, and Linus chuffed out an uneasy laugh.

"Can I just say thank you now?" Camille asked. "You've been a really good friend, Linus. I just wanted you to know how grateful I am."

"Wow, labour's made you soft," Linus teased, but he gripped her hand all the same.

"I'm not going anywhere," he reassured her. "I'll be here as long as you need me."


	4. Chapter 4

Kirsten stood in the doorway of the infirmary, her head cocked to side as she watched Camille with a curious expression on her face.

"Is walking around seriously helping you right now?" she asked, biting into a cookie. Camille stopped pacing long enough to shoot her best friend a scathing glare.

"I'm sorry, when did you suddenly become the expert on child birth?" she snapped, and then gasped out a yelp of pain as she lunged forward to grip the railing of a nearby hospital bed.

"This sucks!" she yowled, baring her teeth at Linus as he made to rub her back.

"Touch me and die," she growled at him, and then rolled her head backwards. "Oh my God I hate this so much right now."

Finishing off her cookie, Kirsten glanced over at Ayo, who was standing in the corner, prepping towels and medical equipment.

"Don't you have something you can give her?" Kirsten asked, nodding towards Camille. "Pain meds?" Her question wasn't malicious or panicked, just genuinely curious.

"I'm not kitted out for the maternity ward down here," Ayo told her apologetically. "Though I think she's well past the point of medication. If she would just let me examine her to be sure..."

"No!" Camille snarled, panting heavily as she clung onto the bed railing for dear life. "Nothing is happening until Fisher gets here. I will hold this baby in for hours if I have to."

"Camille, maybe you should listen to Ayo," Linus tried tentatively as he took in the medic's concerned expression.

"And maybe you should shut your mouth until you know how it feels to have your insides ripped apart!" Camille snapped, and then immediately looked guilty as Linus flinched.

"Dude, I warned you," she pointed out. Linus reached out and prised Camille's hands off the bed railing, bracing her palms against his shoulders instead.

"Why don't you lean on me for a while?" he offered gently, and Camille exhaled shakily as she pressed the crown of her head to his chest and curled her fingers into Linus's shirt.

"I want Fisher," she squeaked, the first vulnerable noise she'd made since her labour had intensified. Linus stroked her sweat-dampened hair and whispered soothing sounds to her.

"Out of the way, Kirsten!"

The blonde in question barely had time to jump out of the doorway as Maggie strode past her and straight towards Camille and Linus.

"You need this," Maggie said to Camille, holding out a two-way receiver. Still leaning against Linus, Camille gave her an apprehensive look.

"Why would I..." she started, but was cut off by the crackle of the receiver.

"Camille?"

The brunette's head instantly shot up, and she lunged for the radio in Maggie's outstretched hand.

"Fisher?" she yelped desperately.

"Hey tough guy," Fisher replied soothingly, and Camille breathed out a sigh of relief before she clenched her fingers around the receiver.

"Where the hell are you?" she snarled. "I swear to God, Quincy Fisher, if you leave me down here..."

"I'm in the restaurant upstairs," Fisher told her. "The power's still out, but there's a crew just arrived." He paused to sigh.

"Camille, how're you doing?"

"There is literally a human being trying to escape from my body," Camille growled. "How do you think I'm doing?"

"I think you're doing great, champ," Fisher responded encouragingly. "But something tells me you're ignoring everything Ayo's telling you right now."

"Something called Maggie?" Camille sneered at the woman in question, who raised an eyebrow challengingly at her in reply.

"I'll be down there as soon as I can, tough guy," Fisher continued, "but you have to do what's best for you and the baby right now, understand?"

"I'm not doing this without you!" Camille shouted. "How long til you get down here?"

"Camille, there's a lot of damage up here," Fisher told her forlornly. "I honestly don't know."

Camille's face crumpled as she stared at the receiver in her hand.

"God damn it," she whimpered, letting out a choked sob as she nearly doubled over. Linus caught her and pulled her back to lean against his chest.

"Why can't Fisher abseil down the elevator shaft like he did last time?" Kirsten asked, and Maggie pursed her lips together.

"The car is stopped at the top of the shaft," Maggie stated. "Even if Fisher could get in, there's no way we could run the risk of the power being restored and the elevator suddenly descending."

"Maggie, you have to do something!" Linus begged, rubbing his hand against Camille's back as the young woman let out a shuddering breath. Maggie looked pained as she directed her eyes upwards, but her face suddenly lit up with the beginnings of an idea. She reached towards Camille's hand to take the receiver.

"No!" Camille cried, pressing the receiver to her chest. "I need to talk to him!"

"Camille, I'll bring it right back, I promise," Maggie stated firmly, and Camille eyed her off with trepidation before slowly holding out the radio. Maggie gave her a gentle smile before she brought the receiver to her mouth.

"Fisher, it's Maggie," she started, her stride again purposeful as she headed for the doorway. Still leaning against Linus's chest, Camille stared at Ayo for a moment before letting out a forlorn sigh.

"Ayo, I so desperately want to push right now," she admitted softly in defeat. Ayo's sympathetic smile nearly made Camille burst into tears all over again.

"Let's get you back into bed," Ayo suggested gently, and Camille begrudgingly allowed Linus and Kirsten to help her back onto the hospital gurney. She was cursing her way through another contraction when Maggie arrived back in the room, a crate of torches clutched in her hands. Camille shot her a haughty look.

"You said you'd bring the radio back," she bit out, her fingernails digging into Linus's palm. Maggie held out one of the Maglites to Kirsten.

"I'm doing you one better," Maggie said to Camille. "I'm bringing you Fisher."

"You are?" Camille squeaked, at the same time Kirsten asked, "How?"

"I'm having the electricians divert the generator power to the elevator," Maggie explained, handing torches to both Ayo and Linus before setting an electric lantern down on a nearby table and turning it on. "We'll lose the lights, but we'll get Fisher."

Camille let out a strangled scream as she hunched forward.

"Ayo, I don't think I can hold on any longer!" she cried out, her whole face screwed up in pain.

Ayo was already perched at the end of the bed, and she snapped on a plastic glove.

"Let's do this then," she stated in an upbeat tone, just as the room plunged into darkness. Camille yelped as all around her torches quickly lit up.

"Fisher will be here any minute," Maggie stated, though she was unable to keep the slight twinge of unsureness out of her voice. Camille let out another howl as she blindly groped for Linus's hand.

"Kirsten, I'm going to need your light at this end," Ayo instructed, and Kirsten obligingly shifted from Camille's bedside.

"No looking!" Camille barked desperately at her friend, who wrinkled her nose in defiance.

"Like you could stop me," the blonde sniffed insolently.

"Ok, Camille, whenever you're ready," Ayo spoke up. "On the next contraction, just do what comes naturally."

Linus watched sheer panic cross Camille's face, and he gripped her fingers reassuringly.

"Squeeze as hard as you want," he told her. "I won't let go."

Camille let out a ragged breath, and then suddenly squeezed her eyes shut as she bore down with all of her strength. The accompanying shriek of pain that echoed through the lab wasn't quite enough to drown out the shout that answered.

"Engelson!" Fisher's voice was loud and clear, his footfalls heavy on the floor as he dashed through the lab. Camille's eyes snapped open.

"Fisher!" she shouted back desperately, just as the man in question practically slid into the infirmary, his clothing crumpled and dirty and a determined expression plastered across his face.

"Oh thank God," Maggie murmured as Fisher strode past her and directly to Camille's side.

"Hey there, beautiful," he crooned, picking up her free hand as he leaned forward to kiss her. Camille gave him worshipful stare for barely a moment before she lunged forward and yanked Fisher toward her by the lapels.

"Where the hell have you been?" she bellowed, and Fisher barely held back a laugh as he wrapped his hands around her wrists.

"Hey, I'm not the one who decided to start the party early," he said teasingly. Camille hissed at him, but the hiss quickly morphed into a pained yelp as she buried her face against Fisher's chest.

"All right, tough guy, time to get to work," Fisher stated gently, catching Ayo's eye.

"It hurts," Camille whined into his shirt before she lifted her head. Fisher used a finger to move a sweat-soaked strand of hair off of her forehead.

"You've been through worse," he told her. Camille growled in exasperation as she let Fisher wrap a hand around one of her own, and then held out her other hand to Linus, who had stepped slightly away from the bed on Fisher's arrival.

"I still need you," she stated through clenched teeth, and Linus needed no further encouragement to quickly lace his fingers through hers.

"Ok Camille, let's do this," Ayo urged encouragingly. Fisher placed a gentle hand on Camille's back as she again leaned forward in strained effort. Her scream this time was silent until almost the end, where her exertion voiced itself in a strangled moan. She was gasping for breath even as Ayo reported that she could see the baby's head.

"Oh my God, you totally can," Kirsten piped up, her torch beam trained on the area Ayo had asked her to direct it. "Fisher, you should see this."

Camille locked her partner's hand in a vice-like grip.

"If you even so much as glance at my lady parts right now, you can kiss your sex life goodbye for the rest of eternity," she growled threateningly. Fisher went pale as he wisely stayed put, instead coaching her through the next contractions and pushes even as Camille cursed and cried.

"Just one more," Ayo spoke up over Camille's desperate whines. "You got this, Camille."

"I don't got this," Camille sobbed back, fixing Fisher with a begging stare. "Damn it, Quincy, make it stop!"

Fisher grabbed her chin and stared her down.

"No turning back, remember?" he stated gently. "Come on, tough guy. Let's finish this."

Breathing heavily, Camille stared back at him for a moment before she tightened her grip on both of the hands she held, leaned forward, and positively howled as she pushed down with all of the energy she could muster. The final notes of her shout suddenly intermingled with another high-pitched noise as the healthy wails of a newborn filled the room.

"Oh my God, it's a girl!" Kirsten announced excitedly, her torch beam no longer steady as she bounced up and down enthusiastically. "Camille, you have a girl!"

Linus let go of Camille's hand to check his watch, and let out a gleeful shout of his own.

"Hey, I won the betting pool!" he announced happily, and Maggie gave him a good-natured whack to the chest, but it didn't matter, because Camille wasn't even listening, her entire focus instead on the squalling bundle that Ayo was offering towards her.

"Meet your beautiful daughter," the medic smiled, placing the baby in Camille's arms. Any thought of pain immediately left Camille's head as she looked down at the tiny girl she held.

"Hey Little Fish," she rasped, her voice catching in her throat as an overwhelming sense of love swept over her. "You made it."

Fisher leaned forward to stroke a finger against his daughter's cheek, and under his touch, the baby's cries started to ease. Camille lifted her eyes to gaze at her partner in amazement.

"Look at her," she whispered. "Fisher, we made this. Look at our perfect girl."

"She's beautiful, just like her mom," Fisher smiled, kissing Camille's temple. "Woman, I am so proud of you right now."

"I'm going to kick your ass so hard later," Camille murmured, her attention already back on her baby. Fisher chuckled good-naturedly.

"Hey, Fishy?" Camille said softly, not looking at the man in question but instead gazing intently at her daughter's big dark eyes.

"Yeah?" Fisher responded, leaning in close.

"Marry me," Camille murmured, a statement more than a question. Fisher used his fingers to turn her head in his direction.

"I thought you'd never ask," he smiled, tilting her chin so he could kiss her deeply. Right at that moment, the lights in the infirmary flickered to life, and Linus let out a small cheer.

"Well, thank goodness for that," Maggie stated, blinking in the sudden light. She smiled fondly at the way Camille and Fisher seemed oblivious to the other people in the room.

"Ok, you two," Maggie said in her authoritative tone, glancing at both Kirsten and Linus. "We've got an entire facility to assess the state of."

"But I want to stay here!" Kirsten protested, and Maggie raised her eyebrows challengingly.

"I said, it's time to go," she spoke slowly and deliberately, and Kirsten groaned in dissatisfaction before folding her arms across her chest and walking out of the room. Maggie cocked her head at Linus, who nodded his understanding and made to follow his boss out of the infirmary, but he stopped in the doorway when he heard his name being called. Fisher was staring at him with a grateful expression on his face.

"Thank you, for being here for her," the detective said gruffly. "I won't forget this."

Linus grinned as he caught the ecstatic expression that crossed Camille's features.

"Don't worry, I won't let you," Linus quipped back, and Fisher grunted as he rolled his eyes. Chuckling, Linus gave the new little family one last glance before he padded away, noting how Camille leaned into Fisher's chest and the way that Fisher looked at both Camille and his new daughter like he would move heaven and Earth to keep them safe. Linus could only hope that one day he'd find a way to a love like theirs.

* * *

Kirsten and Linus could not stop bickering over who got to hold the baby next, which suited Cameron just fine, because the longer they argued, the longer he got to nurse the Little Fish. Camille's daughter of course had a name, but her pre-birth moniker had stuck, right down to the array of aquatic themed onesies the child had been gifted since her arrival three weeks earlier. Even the blanket she was wrapped in as Cameron slowly paced the room with the child in his arms was decorated with purple sea shells and smiling starfish. As Cameron wandered around the living room humming to the baby, Camille sat curled against Fisher on the couch, an amused smile on her lips as she listened to Kirsten and Linus snark at each other. Fisher had one arm slung around her shoulders, but he appeared to barely be paying attention to the goings-on in the room, instead flicking through his phone and murmuring to himself about safety ratings on strollers. Camille had been surprised to learn that when it came to their daughter, she was the casual parent. She'd been so convinced that she was going to be the one that freaked out every time the baby so much as whimpered, but she'd instead found herself trying not to laugh at Fisher as he worried about sterilised bottles and the temperature of bath water. His love for both his partner and child was overwhelmingly strong, and despite his suddenly over-protective nature, Camille loved how safe, and most of all, comfortable, she felt in Fisher's arms.

"You come here like three times a week," Linus shot at Kirsten as she made an attempt to break away from their argument and reach out for the baby. "You need to learn to share."

"It's not my fault you can't get here more often," Kirsten sniffed. "Why should I be punished because you can't get your priorities straight?"

"Hey hot shots," Camille piped up, causing her friends to turn and look at her. "One of you gets to feed her, the other one gets to change her diaper and put her to bed. Sort it out."

"You get the bottle," Kirsten said quickly, watching as shock registered on Linus's face. "A dirty diaper is worth the sleepy snuggles."

Still staring at his phone, Fisher rose from the couch and left the room, only to return a few minutes later with a baby bottle which he quickly handed to Linus.

"Make sure she finishes it," Fisher instructed, and Linus nodded dumbly as he accepted the baby from Cameron, who couldn't keep the goofy grin off his face.

"Kirsten, I know we only just started dating and all, but do you think that maybe one day we can make one of these?" he asked, and Kirsten grinned from her curled up position in Fisher's recliner.

"Maybe one day," she murmured, and Cameron's smile grew wider as he sank down on the floor by her feet.

"All right, Hope, time for a snack," Linus commented as he settled the baby in his arms and placed the bottle to her mouth. Camille made a contented noise as Fisher wedged himself back onto the couch beside her, finally abandoning his phone so that he could bury his nose in the soft spot behind her ear. As he kissed her exposed collarbone, Camille snuggled back against him, marvelling again to herself at just how happy she was.

"I never did ask where her name came from," Kirsten spoke up, absently running her hand through Cameron's hair. "Why Hope?"

Camille couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face.

"This big oaf came up with it," she chuckled, nudging Fisher with her shoulder. "I thought his reasoning was sweet."

"Camille," Fisher rumbled under his breath, and Camille sniggered as Kirsten, Cameron and Linus all looked at Fisher curiously. Fisher shifted uncomfortably at the sudden attention.

"Just remember, if any of you laugh, I can have you arrested and put away for life," he muttered, and Kirsten rolled her eyes.

"Quit stalling, old man," she said flatly, and Fisher cleared his throat.

"Our job leads us down some pretty dark roads sometimes," he murmured, "and there's a good share of heartache and pain involved in most of our cases. I just thought it might help us all get through the day knowing there was a little hope in our lives to come home to."

Linus hid his smirk by turning his attention back to the baby girl in his arms, and Kirsten pressed her fingers to her lips.

"My God, Fisher, please tell me you ordered some wine with that cheese," Cameron quipped, and Fisher sneered at him.

"Well I think it suits her," Linus commented, smiling down at Hope as the baby sucked greedily at the bottle in her mouth. Her dark eyes, inherited directly from her father, stared back at him contemplatively.

"Oh come on, she has to be done by now," Kirsten whined impatiently, unfolding her legs and virtually climbing over Cameron in her haste to get to Linus. Seeing that the bottle was practically empty, she held out her hands for the baby and stared Linus down until he huffed out a sigh and handed Hope over.

"Say buh bye to Mommy and Daddy," Kirsten sing-songed, waving Hope's little arm in Camille and Fisher's direction before she strode off towards the nursery. Cameron dutifully pushed himself to his feet and followed after her. Camille yawned as she leaned back against Fisher, absently twisting her new engagement ring around her finger. Fisher ran his fingers through her hair, and Camille purred appreciatively.

"I'm impressed at how patient you two are with having us here all the time," Linus commented, and Fisher rolled his eyes.

"Like we ever had a choice," he muttered, but Linus could see that he was smiling all the same. Camille uncoiled herself from Fisher's arms so that she could slide over to where Linus sat.

"I never had a family growing up," she said gently. "Not a real one, anyway. You, and Kirsten, and Cameron... you're our family. You're Hope's family. So you can be here as often as you want, whenever you want, ok?"

Linus grinned at her, and Camille pressed a kiss to his temple before she got to her feet. A wry grin crossed her face as the sound of her daughter wailing filtered down the hallway.

"I should probably go and check on that," she quipped, giving her partner a reassuring wink before she disappeared from the room. Linus gave Fisher a tentative smile from the other end of the couch. Fisher planted his feet on the ground and rested his elbows on his knees.

"I need a best man," he mumbled after a moment, and Linus blinked at him.

"I'm sorry?"

"For the wedding," Fisher clarified with a sigh. "I need a best man. You up for it?"

Linus let out a disbelieving little laugh.

"Yeah, man, I'm up for it," he said with a smile. "I'd be honoured."

"Don't make it a big deal," Fisher warned, getting to his feet. "Just... be cool."

Linus was about to defend himself when Camille appeared back in the room, a whining Kirsten trailing behind her with Cameron firmly grasping her around the waist. Hope was asleep on Camille's shoulder.

"It's not fair," Kirsten complained.

"I just smell like her mom, Kirsten," Camille explained, rubbing her hand down her daughter's back. "I can't help if it's what puts her to sleep. You'll have plenty of other opportunities."

"And one day our kids will only want you to put them to sleep," Cameron murmured against Kirsten's shoulder. Kirsten pouted, but the complaining stopped as she leaned back into Cameron's hold. Camille caught the proud, still slightly baffled, expression on Linus's face, and she gave Fisher a soft smile as he padded across the room towards her. She expected a kiss on the cheek, and was surprised when he grabbed her chin and pressed his lips to hers.

"Fisher, we have company," she murmured even as she grinned.

"If they're going to be in my house all the time, they'd better get used to it," Fisher murmured back. "I'm going to tell you that I love you whenever I feel like it."

Camille blushed, and she rested her cheek against Hope's head.

"I love you too," she stated gently. Behind her, she heard Cameron whisper a similar sentiment to Kirsten, and Kirsten silencing him with a kiss of her own.

"So, can our next project be finding me a girlfriend?" Linus piped up from the couch, and his friends all let out moans and laughs as they broke apart. Linus started to defend himself, and the rest of the group started throwing out suggestions and jokes, the absolute embodiment of a group of people brought together by circumstance, but bound together by a genuine connection that made them the family they'd all longed to build and have for as long as any of them could remember. Maybe Fisher was right; maybe after all they'd been through, all they really needed in their lives was a little hope to keep them together, whatever surprises came next.

* * *

 **The End.**


End file.
